


No Reaction

by nhasablog



Category: Captain America (Movies), Captain America - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - Coffee Shops & Cafés, M/M, Tickling
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-10-28
Updated: 2016-10-28
Packaged: 2018-08-27 14:56:01
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,226
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8406064
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/nhasablog/pseuds/nhasablog
Summary: Steve’s co-worker, Bucky, is both kind and interested in Steve and his life, and when Steve fails to react to his pokes Bucky becomes very interested in finding out where Steve is ticklish. Coffee shop!AU.





	

Bucky had, for some reason, taken a great interest in him. It had started on his very first day working at the café, and had continued until it had become a daily routine for Steve to get question after question fired at him, usually ranging from small ones such as his favorite color to bigger and more personal ones that he wasn’t always sure if he should answer. But Bucky never did it to make him uncomfortable, but simply because he wanted to get to know him, and it was both flattering and incredibly confusing.

Bucky had worked there part time for about a year now, claiming that while it could be exhausting it was a good way to get some extra cash while he was studying. That had incidentally been the reason Steve had applied for the position too. He reckoned most of his co-workers had similar stories.

The truth was Steve had been worried about that job, because he’d worked at a similar place before and it had not even been close to being bearable. This café wasn’t much different than other cafés, with the exception of Bucky’s neverending kindness that seemed to always surface the most when Steve needed it to. And because of that Steve wasn’t worried anymore, because knowing that he’d get to see and talk to Bucky at least once a week was enough.

It was a little unsettling how such a new acquaintance could have such an impact on him, but Steve learned not to question it after a while.

It was Thursday. Insufferable Thursday. Steve worked until closing time, all the while knowing full well that he had to get up for an 8am class the very next day. As if that wasn’t bad enough, Thursdays seemed to be the day people were on their worst behaviors, and he’d left work countless of times feeling smaller than ever. The only beacon of hope that evening was the fact that Bucky was there too, so he didn’t have to be alone. His favorite shifts were the ones he shared with his new friend.

“So what do you want out of life?” Bucky asked during a moment of stillness that was bound to be interrupted in a minute or two by a customer.

Steve turned to him. “Starting off deep, I see.”

“I’m not one to beat around the bush,” Bucky replied with a shrug. “If I wonder something I ask. No need to warm up with useless small talk.”

“Small talk can be good, though,” Steve said. “Let me remind you of the fact that we had a five minute conversation about the weather last week.”

Bucky waved a hand at him. “Okay. Small talk is good when it’s purposely happening.”

Steve grinned and turned back to the register to greet a woman in a green coat before taking her order. Bucky got her food ready for her and then turned back to Steve patiently. “You didn’t answer my question.”

“That’s because I don’t know,” he admitted as the woman grabbed her things and went to search for a free seat.

Bucky raised an eyebrow. “Come on. You’ve gotta have a dream you’re too scared to chase.”

“Well…”

Bucky poked him in the side. “Talk.”

“I’ve always had a love for drawing.”

“Oh, so you’re an artist.” Bucky was smiling at him, no trace of mockery anywhere, but Steve still felt exposed. “Do you draw a lot?”

“Occasionally. I used to draw pretty often when I was younger.”

“What changed?”

“College doesn’t exactly provide you with a lot of free time.”

“What was it you were majoring in again?”

A man cleared his throat louder than necessary just then. “Your cakes are stale.”

Bucky shot Steve a look before swiftly moving up to help the man, and the subject was dropped after that, which was a little unusual. Maybe he’d seen something in Steve’s face that had told him he wasn’t entirely ready to talk about why he hadn’t gone after his true passion. Whatever it was, Steve was grateful.

Whether it was because he thought he’d crossed some sort of line - did those exist in this new yet very open friendship of theirs? - or just because he wanted to give Steve other things to think of during the remaining time of his shift, Bucky seemed to make it his mission to touch Steve whenever it was appropriate. Touching meant hands on shoulders to reassure him, random and brief side hugs to get him to smile, and unexpected pokes to whatever part of Steve’s upper body Bucky was close to at the time to get his attention. Steve didn’t seem to react in a way Bucky hoped for, though.

“You’re not ticklish at all?” Bucky asked as they started closing down.

Steve felt his face flush and hoped it didn’t show. “Why?”

“You never flinch or anything when I poke you.”

“I wasn’t aware that you were trying to tickle me.”

“I’m not,” Bucky replied. “But apparently my way of getting people’s attention tickles them more often than not, and I very rarely do it on purpose. It just happens.”

“But you’re used to them reacting to it?”

“They usually do. Whether it’s by jerking away or laughing or even telling me it tickles, they have a tendency to let me know.” Bucky glanced at him, mischief written all over his face. “It’s not always very smart to gives such valuable information to people.”

“Do you take advantage of it when they’ve told you?” Steve asked, feeling nervous all of a sudden.

“Sometimes. It depends on who it is and if I feel we’re close enough for me to do so.”

Steve hesitated for just a second before asking, “Would you do it to me if I had reacted appropriately?”

“Probably. Maybe not instantly, but eventually. I feel like you’d be a lot of fun to mess with.”

“Sorry for ruining your fun, then.”

Bucky pointed at him. “You can’t convince me you’re not ticklish, Rogers. Maybe your sides aren’t sensitive, but I’m sure some part of you is. That blush is certainly proof enough.”

Steve flushed even more, which had to be illegal. “Shut up.”

“Until I’ve heard you laugh hysterically I’ll never shut up.”

Steve braced himself, but Bucky didn’t even attempt to tickle him that evening, and when they later parted ways to go to their respective homes he gave him a hug without an experimental poke. It made Steve nervous, because it made Bucky so much more unpredictable.

When Steve went to his opening shift on Sunday and saw Bucky already there, he felt a wave of nerves crash down. To be fair, he couldn’t say his heart acted normally whenever Bucky was around, but this was just ridiculous.

Bucky observed him after they’d greeted each other and Steve had started helping him put the chairs and tables on their respective places. “You’re being weird.”

“Am I?” Steve asked, trying his hand at nonchalance.

“Yes. You seem nervous or something.”

“I’m sure it’s in your head.”

The corners of Bucky’s lips twitched upward. “I think I know what it is.”

“Oh?”

“You’re thinking of the conversation we had on Thursday.”

“We had several conversations on Thursday.”

“But there was only one of a ticklish kind.”

Steve pretended to be very busy with a table that wasn’t standing exactly right. “Like I said, it’s in your head.”

“Uh huh.” Steve was more surprised that Bucky reached out this time than to feel his hand on his ribs. He didn’t react to the brief sensation, but Bucky wasn’t discouraged. “I’m gonna find a ticklish spot before today ends. Mark my words.”

And that was the start of Sunday from ticklish hell, as Steve referred to it.

The thing wasn’t that he wasn’t ticklish, but it was that Bucky never touched him in the right way whenever he tried. He was always a few inches away from a real sensitive spot. Always using too much or too little pressure for it to tickle a lot. He was just being very unlucky in his search, and it was both hilarious and a little frustrating.

Steve wanted him to be successful, after all.

“Hey, Bucky, pass me a plate, will you?” one of their co-workers had asked at one point, and Bucky had made a big show out of reaching past Steve to grab it, his fingers fluttering over Steve’s lower back in the process. It had tickled, but not enough to make him react. Bucky hadn’t shown his disappointment.

It had only taken ten minutes before Bucky was back at Steve’s side, this time giving both his sides a squeeze as he’d tried to walk past him. That hadn’t tickled as much as it would have if his hands had been just a few inches lower. Steve was amazed at how good he was at aiming just wrong.

In the end, as they both went to grab their lunches from the back room, Steve had to ask. “Why do you keep it brief?”

Bucky no doubt understood what he meant, but still raised a questioning eyebrow. “Brief?”

“The tickling,” Steve replied, willing himself not to blush. “It would be more effective if you were at it for a bit longer.”

“So you do admit that you’re ticklish?” Bucky asked rather eagerly.

“Yes,” Steve confessed, feeling like there was no point in denying it. “I’m… very ticklish actually.”

“ _Oh_.” Bucky grinned in interest. “And where exactly are those very ticklish spots?”

“Pretty much everywhere.”

“That can’t be. I’m pretty sure I’ve tried your entire upper body.”

“If you hadn’t been so brief you would’ve been more successful.”

Bucky shook his head in disbelief. “No way.”

“Yes way.” Steve had to grin then, albeit mostly in embarrassment. “You’re always on the verge of getting me to react, but you always stop too quickly, or you don’t stray away from the spot to realize that the skin around it is worse.”

“In my defense,” Bucky started, holding up his hands. “People usually react to my brief attempts.”

“Someone’s gotta be the first not to, I guess.”

“But why are you sharing this with me?” Bucky asked, crossing his arms. “What’s your angle?”

“Angle?”

“You’re willingly telling me about a weakness of yours that I could easily exploit right this very second. Why?”

Steve didn’t reply. Wasn’t sure how to. Were they close enough for him to tell the truth? Their relationship wasn’t exactly one that followed the usual norms, but he was suddenly uncertain of where that potential line was.

Fortunately Bucky spoke again before he had to. “Unless you _want_ me to know.”

Steve’s silence said more than a thousand words this time.

Bucky smiled, and it was both understanding and a little mischievous. “Oh, Steve. If you wanted me to tickle you you could’ve just asked me. Instead you forced me to search for tickle spots that were apparently just under my nose. That’s rather rude.”

Steve could only grin sheepishly, and this time when Bucky’s hands reached out he laughed automatically before they’d even touched him.

“I like what I’m seeing,” Bucky said before he had Steve at his mercy, pressed against the wall and squirming as his fingers danced over his stomach and sides. Steve didn’t get tickled very often, and he was surprised at how quickly his laughter arrived. Bucky’s hands were gentle and swift and so so ticklish against his skin, so he couldn’t really help it.

He couldn’t help his pleas either. “Wahahait!”

“For?” Bucky was audibly grinning as he zeroed in on a spot on Steve’s ribs that made his laughter a little louder. “I’ve waited long enough, don’t you think?”

Steve had to agree, but it was rather hard to think logically when you were trapped between a tickler and a wall. There was no doubt that Bucky was an exceptional tickler, so Steve didn’t blame all those people for reacting to the briefest of pokes. He questioned why he himself hadn’t done the same.

“Oh my, god, stohohop!” Steve cried, trying in vain to grab at Bucky’s wrists. “Come on, plehehease!”

Bucky, being the kind soul that he was, did as he’d asked. “Only because it’s lunchtime and I’m starving and if you get any louder people will wonder what we’re doing.”

Steve was panting slightly, but they hadn’t been at it for too long, so he wasn’t that out of breath. “Thank you. For stopping, that is.”

Bucky smirked. “For stopping. Right.”

Steve stood upright and cleared his throat. “So, lunch?”

“Lunch,” Bucky agreed. “Eating in here gets depressing, so how about we go out for coffee once our shifts are over?”

“Aren’t you tired of coffees after making them all day?”

“One can never tire of coffee.”

“True. Coffee it is, then.”

“Oh, good.”

They were both doing a terrible job of acting as if this meant nothing to them. As they grabbed their lunchboxes and walked toward the very small table, Bucky’s hand found Steve’s lower back as he let him walk first, and this time it became very apparent that Steve was a ticklish guy.

“You broke me,” he told him, and Bucky just grinned.

“So about that dream job of yours,” he said as the sat, and Steve was sure this was the start of something good.

**Author's Note:**

> Find me on [tumblr](http://nhasablog.tumblr.com)


End file.
